Richmond celebrates Clean Air Day with bridge ride and asthma town hall
Richmond residents came together to celebrate Clean Air Day with a scenic bike ride across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, followed by a community town hall on Sunday focused on addressing asthma in the city.
The event, organized by Rich City Rides in partnership with Urban Tilth, Lifelong Medical Center, Contra Costa County Health, and Supervisor John Gioia, aimed to raise awareness about air quality and the importance of taking action to reduce pollution.
Najari Smith of Rich City Rides highlighted the importance of the event, citing Richmond's high asthma rate.
“Richmond has some of the highest asthma rates in California,” Smith said. So, it’s important that we all unite to find out what we can do to reduce GHG emissions and CO2 emissions and help restore and preserve the clean air we all deserve to breathe.”
Robert Rodgers, District Coordinator for Gioia, said residents' small activities and daily efforts significantly reduce emissions and improve air quality.
“Clean Air Day is a statewide initiative that is built on the premise that clean air is really about the multitude of small actions by millions of people to really enhance clean air all across California,” Rodgers said.
The bike ride began at Unity Park, took participants across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge to enjoy the little-known San Quentin Beach, and concluded at Nystrom Elementary School with the town hall meeting.
At the town hall, Supervisor John Gioia, a Bay Area Air Quality Management District board member, said the statewide event draws attention to the importance of clean air in all communities.
“Getting cleaner air is more than just passing a regulation at the air district requiring Chevron to cut their pollution,” Gioia said. “It is about the individual actions we can take to improve air quality, like riding bikes in place of driving cars and talking about health issues like asthma.”
Jovanka Beckles, a former Richmond City Council member and State Senate candidate, joined the ride and expressed her passion for the cause.
“I’m celebrating and participating in Clean Air Day because saving the planet is our individual, collective responsibility. But also, it’s fun, it’s good exercise, and it takes cars off the road,” she said.
Click to become a Grandview Supporter here, or make a one-time donation here. Grandview is an independent, journalist-run publication exclusively covering Richmond, CA. Every cent we make funds reporting from Richmond's neighborhoods. Copyright © 2024 Grandview Independent, all rights reserved.
